Indicator.



No. 805,594. PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. P. P. THOMAS.

INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 190a. RENEWED AUG. 9. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

RETURN @IEHfi PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. F. P. THOMA$.

INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 190a. RENEWED AUG. 9. 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. THOMAS, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGN OR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO'EDVVARD J. SOHOW'ALTER, OF RAGINE,

WISCONSIN.

INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed May 1903. Renewed August 9, 1905- Serial No. 273.490.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK P. TnoMAs, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Ra- 'cine, in the county of Racine and State ofWissequently claimed, the object being to provide simple economicalindicators each designed for arrangement outside an office to serve as ameans for notifying those interested of the expected time of return ofthe absent occupant, the indicator-casing being preferably a mail-boxprovided with means for automatically indicating the deposit of anythingtherein 7 and which may contain a continuous web of paper having outsidefeed under a cutter-bar.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a partlysectional front elevation ofan indicator and mail-box in accordance with my invention having thefront thereof removed; Fig. 1, a side elevation of a fragment of thefront of the mail-box that constitutes the indicatorcasing; Figs. 2, 3,4, and 5, sectional views respectively, indicated by lines 2 2, 3 3, 4:4, and 5 5 in the first figure, parts in the same being broken away; andFig. 6, a detail sectional View indicated by line 6 6 in the thirdfigure.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates a casingthat ispreferably divided into compartments by a vertical partition B, one

- of the compartments serving as a depository for mail-matter and theother as an inclosure for mechanism hereinafter specified. It is furtherintended'to utilize the outer face of the front side of the casing foradvertisingspace, and a heading C, surmounting said casing at the front,may have a clock 0 set therein.

A longitudinal slot in the top of the casing serves as an inlet formail-matter, and a shutter D for the slot is hingedinside of saidcasing. One end of the shutter plays in a segmental aperture provided inthe partition B and is connected by a link E with an ear 6 of anindicator in the form of an arm F, pivotally connected at one end to abracket 0 in the casing and having its other end provided with an offsetdepending flange, on which the word Mail is inscribed. The indicator hasplay in a recess with which the partition B is provided, and the flangeof said indicator plays in a back recess of the frontside of the casing.A spiral spring Gris shown connecting the indicator with the top of thecasing, and when the shutter D is swung down said indicator movestherewith in the same direction against resistance of the springto bringthe word Mail into register with a slot provided in the front side ofthe casing. hen this operation takes place, a spring-controlled latch Hin pivotal connection with the partition B catches over the indicator tohold the same in adjusted position, showing that something has beendeposited in the casing.

An angular latch-trip lever I is fulcrumed to a bracket (Z on thepartition B, and a pivotal door J for the mail-compartment outlet in anend of the casing is provided with a wiper e, that operates to tilt saidlever when said door is swung to open said compartment, the result beinga retraction of the latch and return of shutter D and indicator F tonormal position. As herein shown, it is preferable to provide the casingA with a leverguide f and a suitable lock.

Loose on an arbor K in connection with the partitionB and within theother than the mailcompartment of the casingis a wheel L, havingabbreviations of the names of the days of the week inscribed upon itsperiphery at regular intervals of the same. Each day of the Week istwice indicated, the abbreviations of the name of same being one afterthe other, and projecting laterally from the wheel L are pins atintervals of a circle. The total number of pins are equal to that of thedays-indices on the periphery of the wheel L, and said pins and indicesare on parallel planes.

The pins of the wheel L are successively in the path of a striker g,projecting from one side of another wheel M, that is fast on a spindleN, arranged to turn in a bracket P and a sleeve Q, with which the casingis provided, the outer end of said spindle being made to receive aportable socket-wrench or key R, that is inserted in said sleeve to turnsaid spindle and wheel therewith. A rigid collar 72, of the spindle N isheld in frictional contact with one side of the bracket by means of aspiral spring S under tension on said' spindle between a set-collar c'of same and a washer 7' thereon facing the other side of said bracket.Inscribed on the greater portion of the periphery of wheel M arecharacters indicating the hours of the day from one to twelve,inclusive, and said hours plus quarterly divisions of the same. Anotherstriker 70, projecting from the other side of the wheel M, is arrangedto operate successively on pins extending laterally at intervals of acircle from another wheel T, that is loose on an arbor U, held inconnection with the bracket P, and

inscribed on the periphery of the latter wheel,

alternately at regular intervals of the same, are the abbreviations ofwords that signify before noon and after noon of the day, there being asmany of these abbreviations or indices as there are pins pertaining tothe same wheel, and said indices and pins are on parallel planes.

The peripheries of the wheels L, M, and T are displayed through alinedslots in the front of the casing, and rotary motion is imparted to saidwheels by turning the spindle N, this operation being performed fromoutside of said casing. Each revolution of the wheel M results in apredetermined limited rotary movement of the wheels L T, and, as hereinshown, the mechanism is such that said wheels L T turn in oppositedirections.

In practice the wheel M is normally set to show the blank portion of itsperiphery through the correspondingslot inthe front of easing A, andassuming that the occupant of an office outside of which theabove-described apparatus is located desires in case of absence tonotify those interested of expected day and hour of return said wheel isturned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, to set the wheel L to showthrough the opposing casing-slot the abbreviation on said wheel of a daycertain, and at the same time the wheel T is set to show through anothercasing-slot the division of the day before or after noon of same, afterwhich the main wheel is turned in the opposite direction and set to showtime by hour or hour and an arbitrary fractional division thereofthrough said corresponding casing-slot, the words Will return beinginscribed above said casing-slots, as shown in Fig. 1*, that also showsthe several wheels set i to read Mon. 12.45 P. M.

Hung in brackets V, depending from the top of the casing inside thesame, is a roll N of paper in a continuous web that extends out througha slot in an end of said casing and is run down under a cutter-bar X,attached to said end of the casing. The paper is for the convenience ofany one who may desire to write a note and leave same in themail-compartment of the casing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is v 1. A casing provided withobservation-slots, a main wheel within the casing peripherally inscribedwith indices for hours in serial order and rigid on a spindle arrangedto be turned from outside of said casing, other wheels in the aforesaidcasing one of which is peripherally inscribed with indices for days ofthe week in successive order each repeated, the other being likewiseinscribed with alternating indices for divisions of a day before andafter noon of same, and means by which at each revolution of the mainwheel there is predetermined limited rotatory movement of the otherwheels, all of said wheels being peripherally exposed through theaforesaid slots.

2. A casing provided with observation-slots, a main wheel within thecasing peripherally inscribed with indices for hours and hours plusarbitrary divisions thereof in serial order, said wheel being rigid on aspindle arranged to be turned from outside of said casing, other wheelsin the aforesaid casing one of which is peripherally inscribed withindices for days of the week in successive order each repeated, theother being likewise inscribed with alternating indices for divisions ofa day before and after noon of same, and means by which at eachrevolution of the main wheel there is predetermined limited rotatorymovement of the other wheels, all of said wheels being peripherallyexposed through the aforesaid slots.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atRacine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, in the presenceof two witnesses.

FRANK P. THOMAS.

I/Vitnesses:

MATHEW STARKE, FRED W. LAMPE.

